You are at netAirspace : Forum : Air and Space Forums : netAirspace Daily News

Our hearts, thoughts and prayers are with the people in Japan and everyone who has been affected by the dreadful disaster.

NEWS

USS carrier Ronald Reagan moved after detecting radioactive plume off Japan
The aircraft carrier USS Ronald Reagan and other US Navy ships in the waters off the quake zone in eastern Japan were repositioned after the detection of a low-level radiation plume from the troubled Fukushima nuclear plant located 100 miles away.

According to 7th Fleet Commander and Spokesman Jeff Davis, the ships were moved away from the downwind direction of the plant as a precautionary measure on Sunday. The carrier is one of seven US Navy ships that were quickly moved to the eastern coast of Japan to assist with relief operations after Friday's earthquake and tsunami. The ship's crew was exposed to a very low level of radiation.
Link

U-2 reconnaissance aircraft deployed to aid Japan relief efforts
As Japan copes with the aftermath of the 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami that struck March 11, the United States has sent help in the form of personnel, equipment and a watchful eye in the sky: a U-2 high-altitude, all-weather surveillance and reconnaissance aircraft from the 5th Reconnaissance Squadron here.

In conjunction with an RQ-4 Global Hawk remotely piloted aircraft from the 9th Operations Group's Detachment 3 at Andersen Air Force Base, Guam, the U-2 has been deployed to capture high-resolution, broad-area synoptic imagery, by using an optical bar camera producing traditional film products which are developed and analyzed after landing
Link

U.S. airlines resume Japan flights
Delta Air Lines and American Airlines said Sunday they have resumed their normal flight schedules in Japan after Friday's earthquake, while United Continental said it was operating its full schedule to Tokyo's Narita International Airport. Delta and American added that they have no plans to evacuate locally based employees.

Chicago-based United, the result of the October merger of United Airlines and Continental Airlines, said Continental's daily flight from Guam to Sendai, Japan, was canceled indefinitely because the Sendai airport is closed. Sendai is located near the epicenter of the magnitude 8.9 earthquake and was inundated by a tsunami. Continental operates a small hub in Guam. The airline is trying to send Guam-Sendai passengers to other airports in Japan.
Link

Japan earthquake discussion thread


Catalyst for oxygen generator directive remains unclear
Few details have emerged as to the catalyst behind the US FAA's order to deactivate chemical oxygen generators in aircraft lavatories. The chemical nature of the generators and the privacy afforded by the lavatory cubicle might suggest a potential security threat, and sources familiar with the situation have told ATI that the directive, originally issued in February, is considered security-sensitive.
Link
Discussion

TSA change causes cargo fury
Anger greeted the US Transport Security Administration’s (TSA) representative, Warren Miller, this week over the TSA’s latest emergency amendment that has seen airlines have to freeze cargo shipments to the US. Miller was attending a security panel at the IATA World Cargo Symposium in Istanbul and, once again having been abandoned by Doug Britten to run the gauntlet of the airfreight industry alone, suffered the combined fury of airline cargo executives and their objection at the timing of the amendment.
Link

Qantas and American Airlines expand codeshare
Qantas and Oneworld partner American Airlines have extended their codeshare agreement to include more destinations within North America and Australia. The agreement will add 28 new North American destinations to Qantas’ network from AA's Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) hub. In return, AA will place their codes on Qantas’ domestic flights from Brisbane to Adelaide, Canberra, Cairns, Melbourne and Perth.
Link

IAE squeezes a bit more from V2500
Battered by the prospect of new engine types that its member companies cannot agree on, International Aero Engines is staying in the improvement game with an incremental advance in fuel burn for its V2500 series. Called SelectTwo, the gain comes from a software upgrade for the electronic engine control unit, as well as a new data entry plug, that will boost fuel burn savings by 0.58%.
Link

Franklins injured in air show mishap
Kyle and Amanda Franklin, a young husband and wife aerobatic and wingwalking team, were seriously injured after the Waco Mystery Ship they use in their routine caught fire in flight during a performance at the Brownsville/South Padre Island Air Fiesta Saturday.

Link

KC-X contest boosted EADS reputation in the USA, says Gallois
EADS has no regrets about competing for the US Air Force's KC-X tanker contract, despite losing out to rival Boeing, believing the whole episode has boosted the company's standing with US Department of Defense officials. Chief executive Louis Gallois, speaking at the company's 2010 results presentation on 9 March, said that EADS's "reputation in the USA has dramatically improved" as a result of its participation in the contest.
Link
Discussion

Libyan rebels welcome Arab League call for no-fly zone
Libya’s opposition reacted positively to Saturday’s vote by the Arab League supporting a no-fly zone in the country as fighting continued on the frontlines, with pro-Gadhafi forces said to be encroaching on the rebel stronghold of Bengazi. The fighting on the frontlines continues west of the rebel headquarters in Benghazi as opposition leaders say they hope an international no-fly zone is coming sooner than later.
Link
Discussion



Other News

Continental Airlines is launching a daily Newark-Stuttgart service using Boeing 757-200 aircraft, starting on 09 June. Stuttgart is Continental’s 5th destination in Germany.

Sun Express Germany plan to receive their certificates and start flight operations in May, using three Boeing 737-800 aircraft.




AVIATION QUOTE
Any idiot can get an airplane off the ground, but an aviator earns his keep by bringing it back anytime, anywhere, under any circumstances that man and God can dream up.
— Walter Cunningham, 'The All-American Boys,' 1977.




ON THIS DATE

March 14th

• In 1908... Henri Farman makes the first flight in his modified Voisin-Farman I-bis, the biplane built by Voisin brothers.

• In 1927... The Aviation Corp. of America (AVCO), headed by Juan Trippe, forms Pan American Airways to qualify for a contract for airmail deliveries from the post office and establishes the route between Key West, Florida and Havana, Cuba as the first of several routes it would acquire.

• In 1936... Imperial Airways opens a weekly service to Hong Kong.

• In 1960... Within a year of completion of a major expansion program, Chicago’s O’Hare International airport has become the busiest terminal in the US, handling 10.2 million passengers in 1959, the Federal Aviation Agency (FAA) reports. In the same year it handled 431,600 take-offs and landings.




DAILY VIDEO





EDITOR’S CHOICE






HUMOR

Kamikaze
A World War II commander of a Japanese kamikaze squadron briefly reviews the day's battle plan for his troops.
"Today," he exhorts, "you will take your kamikaze airplane high into the sky, over the Yankee aircraft carrier, then take the kamikaze plane down, crashing on the deck, killing yourself and all aboard. Before we have the ceremonial sake toast, are there any questions?"
A hand rises tentatively in the back of the crowd: "Honorable general-san: Are you out of your flipping mind?"




TRIVIA

Airline Scramble

1. TNPAASX
2. SRAAPIN
3. EIIRRTAN
4. ANRIATSU
5. IIARSSSW
6. AMSGEGNNRWI
7. ARSTABNHE
8. AATNMIRIR
9. VMAEL
10. FLTOROEA

UPDATE

Tokyo airports operating but governments worldwide warn against Japan travel
Travel plans for tens of thousands of airline passengers remain in chaos as Japan continues to cope with the aftermath of Friday's devastating 8.9 magnitude earthquake and tsunami. Countries worldwide are warning their citizens to stay away from Tokyo and northern Japan, where there was growing concern Sunday about the stability of multiple nuclear reactors. Inbound passengers are deferring or canceling bookings while outbound travelers are attempting to get out of Japan ahead of schedule.
Link

Qatar Airways expects first 787s early next year, plans more A380 orders
Qatar Airways CEO Akbar Al Baker said the airline is expecting to receive its first Boeing 787 in January or February 2012. "Over two years' delay," he noted. "But the 787 will be a good aircraft for us." The carrier, which has 60 Dreamliners on order, has taken delivery of 22 aircraft since the beginning of 2010 and soon will take delivery of its 25th 777. The first of its five A380s is expected to join the fleet in 2012.
Link

Etihad reduces 787 order, replaces some with 777s
Etihad Airways reduced its order for 35 787s by four aircraft and instead exercised options on three 777s to safeguard it expansion, the airline said last week following a report in The Seattle Times. The three 777s will be delivered in 2013 and buffer the Dreamliner delivery delay. Boeing on Jan. 18 announced the seventh delay in the program and Etihad now will start taking delivery of its 787s in late 2014.
Link


Other News

Emirates will launch a second-daily Dubai-Cape Town service March 27, using an Airbus A340-500. It will also launch a third-daily A330-200 service to Manchester May 1.

AirAsia launched thrice-weekly Kuala Lumpur-Palembang service March 10.

Spirit Airlines launched five-times-weekly Chicago O'Hare-Atlantic City service, becoming daily April 1.

Djibouti Air launched six-times-weekly Djibouti-Dubai service.

ANSWERS:

1. TNPAASX is SPANTAX.
2. SRAAPIN is SPANAIR.
3. EIIRRTAN is AIRINTER.
4. ANRIATSU is AUSTRIAN.
5. IIARSSSW is SWISSAIR.
6. AMSGEGNNRWI is GERMANWINGS.
7. ARSTABNHE is BRAATHENS.
8. AATNMIRIR is MARTINAIR.
9. VMAEL is MALEV.
10. FLTOROEA is AEROFLOT.

Zak wrote:Franklins injured in air show mishap
Kyle and Amanda Franklin, a young husband and wife aerobatic and wingwalking team, were seriously injured after the Waco Mystery Ship they use in their routine caught fire in flight during a performance at the Brownsville/South Padre Island Air Fiesta Saturday.

Link

Just catching up on news I missed while I was hiding...

That's a damn shame. The Franklins put on a real good show. Best wishes for their recovery.